Eine Herbstsinfonie

Gallery: LandscapePosted October 25, 2010540 views22 comments

PLEASE VIEW LARGER, THANKS

Went to Arpy lake in Valle d'Aosta last week and it looks like I finally had some decent conditions. Not bad if you consider that I've been pursuing this kind of picture for the last three years and was never been able to get back with something worthy the trip because of the bad weather or other issues.
The lake was already frozen and I had some big fun taking all sort of intimate scene with the ice reflecting the flaming red larches. I will certainly post some of these pictures later in the week but first I wanted to share a wide view that I'm quite happy with.

I took this from atop the ridge that encircles the lake (which lies behind my shoulder here), a natural balcony looking down to the northeastern end of Aosta valley with the majestic Monte Bianco massif in the background.

The title comes from the Austrian composer Joseph Marx's masterpiece "Autumn Symphony", a piece that I love and which I immediately thought of when I spotted this scene.
This is stitched from 5 vertical frames, please don't forget to click on the larger file for much better details and dynamic range.

Your C&C are as always highly appreciated, thanks in advance for your time.

Techs: Eos 50D, Tokina ATX-Pro 12-24 f4 @15mm, GND 8x, tripod. 1/15 f16 each frame. Double exposure blending and stitching

Comments

22 comments

Comment posted by Eva McDermott on October 25, 2010 at 1:36 PM

Spectacular detail Paolo and what a magnificent view!

Registered on January 4, 2009, 1015 Posts, 13229 Comments

Comment posted by Dietrich Gloger on October 25, 2010 at 1:39 PM

Wow that's a great combination of what makes autumn so special. The comp. is so well made and the light is perfect. Indeed one heck of a "Symphonie" (or Sinfonie - german is a weird language - sorry

)

Registered on January 26, 2007, 360 Posts, 9876 Comments

Comment posted by Paolo De Faveri on October 25, 2010 at 1:56 PM

Ooops Didl, I had the sense indeed that something in the title was not properly German, so I googled it and... that's how it came out. It seems like everything is "englishized" in the global village!

Thanks for the tip, title corrected

And thanks all for the comments, that's appreciated.

Registered on August 29, 2007, 318 Posts, 1651 Comments

Comment posted by Dietrich Gloger on October 25, 2010 at 2:09 PM

No prob

Thanks for the tips for stitching - I was not successful yet. I try different crops of the respective images to change the overlap. So far it is always flawed.

I will try some stitching software too.

Registered on January 26, 2007, 360 Posts, 9876 Comments

Comment posted by Nick Bristol on October 25, 2010 at 2:32 PM

This is a beautiful view. I could look at this for quite awhile. Very nice comp putting this scene together. I really like the dark shadded area going through the image, and the contrast it gives with the foreground trees. This is just really pretty.

Nick Bristol
Lone Rock, WI

Registered on February 1, 2004, 752 Posts, 14140 Comments

Comment posted by Bill Chambers on October 25, 2010 at 2:37 PM

This is beautiful Paolo. The colors are really crisp and jump out at you, but don't overpower the scene. Comp is very nice. Looks like such a wonderful day to be out in the mountains!

Registered on April 10, 2005, 753 Posts, 21216 Comments

Comment posted by Anish Desai on October 25, 2010 at 5:18 PM

Well thought out composition and lovely, natural light. I love how you've used the shadowed middleground rigde to clearly separate FG and BG. And the way the foreground trees follow the arch of the ridge is just a nice touch.

Registered on May 23, 2009, 49 Posts, 410 Comments

Comment posted by Anthony Vincent on October 25, 2010 at 5:22 PM

Expansive view Paulo

The mix of shadows and highlights works well in the stages progressing outward. A wonderful crispness throughout. Ya there is something about music and photography

Registered on February 5, 2009, 199 Posts, 2775 Comments

Comment posted by Tony Kuyper on October 25, 2010 at 5:28 PM

You did a great job with the light, Paolo. Maybe not as dramatic as you usually present, but perfectly balanced as always.

Compositionally, the tree on the far right doesn't seem quite right. While the other trees sort of follow the ridge line, the on the right seem to break the pattern. Not sure if that was your intention, but the upper branches sort of get lost in the mountain color behind.

Registered on November 1, 2003, 364 Posts, 22328 Comments

Comment posted by Paolo De Faveri on October 25, 2010 at 6:28 PM

Thanks all for your comments folks, that's appreciated. Tony, thanks for pointing out that, as I was already reconsidering the composition from that point of view. I actually think that the tree on the far right follows the line of the dark ridge just like the others, but the problem here is that it ends right on top of the bright ridge. Having the tip of the tree protunding above that edge and into the blue sky (just like the larch on the left) would fix the issue I guess, but unfortunately I had to crop it off because blocked by the branches of another, closer tree. I think a little crop from the left should do the trick.

About the drama, well, the dramatic one is coming shortly, no worry please!

Paolo

Registered on August 29, 2007, 318 Posts, 1651 Comments

Comment posted by Kah Kit Yoong on October 25, 2010 at 6:30 PM

A very well thought out image Paolo. Lots to explore and the side-lighting on the trees is lovely. Great job!

Registered on September 27, 2006, 636 Posts, 10682 Comments

Comment posted by Daniel Ewert on October 25, 2010 at 6:30 PM

Masterfully composed scene, Paulo. There is a lot here to look at but it all fits beautifully together. I'll bet the large print with all of the details looks fantastic.

Registered on June 2, 2009, 103 Posts, 1500 Comments

Comment posted by Doug Roane on October 25, 2010 at 6:36 PM

Stunning mountain scene, Paulo! no nits from me!

Registered on December 12, 2008, 213 Posts, 2226 Comments

Comment posted by Dale King on October 25, 2010 at 6:38 PM

The shadowed ridge is a great backdrop for the foreground trees. Really makes the image pop.

Registered on January 2, 2010, 5 Posts, 53 Comments

Comment posted by Paolo De Faveri on October 25, 2010 at 7:23 PM

Thanks again for commenting, pales. Charlie, no polarizer here, I never use it when I do stitched panos because its effect is never consistent throughout the sequence of shots. It is just that the air was that crystal clear! We had strong winds up there the night before and this contributed a lot in clearing the atmosphere. Unfortunately, the wind also blew all the clouds away but, heck, you cannot have "a drunk wife and a full barrel at the same time" (old italian proverb

)

Registered on August 29, 2007, 318 Posts, 1651 Comments

Comment posted by Art Escobado on October 25, 2010 at 7:49 PM

This is really well arranged-so many parts yet the areas all remain distinct.

Registered on January 7, 2007, 0 Posts, 775 Comments

Comment posted by Steve Sieren on October 25, 2010 at 8:55 PM

I like how you didn't wildly HDR process this one. That black does wonders for the foreground trees.

Registered on January 2, 2008, 360 Posts, 5321 Comments

Comment posted by Stan Rose on October 26, 2010 at 3:29 AM

Nice shot, Paolo! I find the dying trees a bit depressing though...

Registered on September 15, 2005, 836 Posts, 17099 Comments

Comment posted by Arild Heitmann on October 26, 2010 at 3:42 AM

Wonderful colourpalette and great detail!

Registered on October 13, 2010, 27 Posts, 378 Comments

Comment posted by Douglas Dietiker on October 26, 2010 at 7:13 PM

Sweet shot, the trees are really glowing, perfect timimg.

Registered on December 31, 2006, 15 Posts, 115 Comments

Comment posted by Morris McClung on October 26, 2010 at 7:42 PM

Another majestic mountain landscape, Paulo! I would love to stand in front of a giant print of this!

Registered on May 7, 2007, 670 Posts, 19650 Comments

Comment posted by Håkon Iversen on October 27, 2010 at 4:36 AM

Great layered comp in this one. Nice shot

Registered on August 16, 2010, 20 Posts, 123 Comments